Madison County, Alabama
A shallow water table limits basements on 37% of Madison County's mapped land, a higher share than 56% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 21%.
58.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 144 flood losses here since 2016, 9% of them in buildings with basements. 32% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1992.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Madison County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 21.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 37.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 61.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 21.3% |
| Mapped soil | 520,380 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Barfield | 15% | n/a |
| Decatur | 15% | n/a |
| Dickson | 6% | n/a |
| Abernathy | 5% | n/a |
| Baxter | 4% | n/a |
| Bewleyville | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL089 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.7% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 21% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 58.6% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 21% of Madison County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 37% of Madison County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 53.23 in, 4.78 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 58.01 in.
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
58.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 58.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 35.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
144 flood losses since 2016, $3.5 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 35. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 9% basements, 41% slabs, 42% crawl spaces, 8% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 9 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 35 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2021 | 25 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 7 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 58.01 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 53.23 in (-4.78) |
| 2025 | 53.90 in (-4.11) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 74.80 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 31.73 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HUNTSVILLE INTL AP (16 mi away) | 15.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 178,607 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 32% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $299,200 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limestone County, AL | 25 mi | 1% | 42% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 26 mi | 28% | 28% |
| Morgan County, AL | 27 mi | 16% | 37% |
| Jackson County, AL | 32 mi | 25% | 20% |
| Marshall County, AL | 34 mi | 6% | 22% |
| Franklin County, TN | 37 mi | 2% | 20% |
| Moore County, TN | 38 mi | 22% | 15% |
| Giles County, TN | 41 mi | 11% | 20% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status